Kazakhstan TV or Kazakhstan 1 is a state owned channel availabel in Kazakhstan. The channel broadcasts news, current affairs, talk shows as well as live sports to...

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selecadmWednesday 2, December 2015 09:47 PM

@Adm Selec: Anyone interested in English translation of the Kazakhstan MITM law?

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The modern state of Kazakhstan is home to the Kazakh State Kurmangazy Orchestra of Folk Instruments, the Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kazakh National Opera and the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra. The folk instrument orchestra was named after Kurmangazy...

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan. It is the world's first internationally chartered institution of higher education; the International Treaty and...

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US Investments in Kazakhstan

After Borat: Kazakhstan sets its sights on America

When the general American public thinks about Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen's "Borat" character probably comes to mind.

But is Borat, at least in the figurative sense, dead? Organizations behind an effort to lure more investment to the Central Asian country think so. But Kazakhstan may have a grander regional strategy in mind beyond just attracting Western investment.

In an effort to encourage investment with "strategic partners"â€”namely the United Statesâ€”President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a new law on June 12 lifting visa restrictions, enacting tax exemptions and stabilizing tax rates to try to attract foreign direct investment. It's a rare action by a head of state in the oil-rich nation, which was once part of the Soviet Union.

The United States is also eager to strengthen its ties with Kazakhstan when it comes to the energy sector. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman recently met with Kazakh officials in late June, affirming America's commitment to work with Kazakhstan when it comes to oil and gas, nuclear safety and energy efficiency.

Read MoreKazakhstan slashes red tape on investments outside oil

But Kazakhstan is not putting its eggs in just one American basket.

At the end of May, Kazakhstan decided to join Russia's Eurasian Economic Union, a pet project of Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had hoped would put Russia at the center of a trade bloc that could stand as a counterweight to the European Union and United States.

Read MoreRussia forges huge economic bloc with Kazakhstan and Belarus

As it has turned out, only Kazakhstan and Belarus have joined the Eurasian Economic Union. Other countriesâ€”most notably Ukraineâ€”have shown a greater desire to strengthen ties to the West.

The Kazakhs "are making themselves the middlemen and creating a bridge between Russia and the U.S.", said Edward Mermelstein, an attorney who works as an adviser on cross-border investments in the former Soviet Union. "In a sense, becoming the Switzerland of the former Soviet Union."